Winter Festival
by Cariel
Summary: Dormé on Naboo, thinking of her past and what she wants for the future of her son, Siac. Takes place in the verse of 'A Real Knight'


A/N: This takes place in the AU of 'A Real Knight,' which is an as of yet unpublished novel-length fic, so you can think of this as a standalone or a teaser to that upcoming fic!

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Lying on her back, Dormé gazed up at the stars. It wasn't terribly late, but it got darker here earlier during the winter season. She hadn't ever been able to do this before, but now that she was no longer working, since she was very pregnant now, Dormé had this rare opportunity to admire the stars. For nearly all of her life, Dormé had been working nonstop. She couldn't remember a time that she hadn't worked nor could she remember ever being able to celebrate the various holidays on Naboo.

When Dormé was little, she first learnt of the holidays from the other children working in the factories. To Dormé, holidays were just another day to work except that her boss was in a bad mood. It was only in hushed whispers that Dormé heard about holidays and what happened usually in other people's homes. She heard about the gatherings of families and friends, the festivals of lights, the music and dancing, and how the stars looked during the various times of the year.

Dormé felt a nice pressure under her rib, as though her little one was reminding her that he was there. 'I know, I know,' she said softly, rubbing the spot where the little foot was pushing her. It was winter now and even though it was cold, Dormé lay bundled up, examining the sky and thinking of all she wanted to show Siac when he was born. She vowed that he would never miss a festival or not celebrate his birthday. No matter what happened, she would make sure he was able to have a childhood.

Dormé recalled aloud some of the stories she heard about this time of the year and the legends surrounding the winter solstice. 'So when you're old enough, we can go down to the banks of the lake and see the lights…and you can light one on the boats your daddy and you make together and watch it float away. And then when the lakes freeze, we can go ice skating, and eat snowflakes, and drink hot chocolate…'

So often these days nearing his birth, she would worry about him. She worried about childbirth, that something might happen and that he would be hurt. She worried about the fact he might have Force abilities like his daddy because the Jedi might come and take him away. She also worried that she might not be a very good mother, since she didn't have any examples to follow. Her own mother hardly paid her the time of day and whenever she did see her, her mother was yelling at her for something, blaming her usually for things that were out of Dormé's control and things that she didn't understand.

Right now, Dormé was unusually content. Even though Siac's little foot kept kicking her ribs and making her a bit uncomfortable, Dormé was happy. The only thing that could make this night perfect would be if Anakin was here.

'See those stars? Your daddy's out there right now, Siac,' she said softly. 'We both can't wait to meet you.'

She didn't know where he was at the moment, only that he was all the way across the galaxy, fighting in a war he wanted no part of. Her only consolidation was that their good friend, Ferus and Master Kenobi were there with him. She prayed the war would end soon and bring him home to his family. She didn't want Siac to go to war when he was older. She wanted him to grow up in peace and freedom, without fear.

Snow lightly fell from the sky and it was growing too cold for her to remain outdoors, no matter how many layers of clothes she had on. 'Time to go in now,' she informed Siac.

'I was wondering where you had gotten.' Talé said as she approached. She was the last of the guests to remain, helping with clean-up duties. Talé's footsteps made imprints in the snow-covered ground. Shivering, she took Dormé's arm. 'How long have you been out here? What have you been doing?'

Dormé smiled at Talé. 'I'm just looking at the stars. I didn't mean to keep you waiting.'

'It's all right. I just can't get back in the house without a passcode,' she casually teased.

'I think I can help out with that,' Dormé replied as they walked back together. 'It's hard to believe that this time next year Siac will be able to see his first winter festival.'

'He better like spice cakes,' Talé said cheerfully. 'It's the only winter solstice food I know how to make well.'

'I'm sure he'll love them,' said Dormé as she entered the passcode and entered. 'I didn't realise how cold it was outside until now, she said, shivering.

It had been a busy evening and there was just a little more clean-up to do before she could go to bed. Everyone who had come over had brought a dish to share and Dormé was so pleased that everyone enjoyed the meal she prepared. She was also glad that they seemed to have a good time. The droids did most of the work and now there were just a few things to rearrange and put away. She thanked Talé for her help

Later that evening, after Talé left, Dormé prepared for bed and began a message to Anakin. She could never be sure the message would go through or not, even if she used the machine that Anakin specially created for the two of them to use. Whether or not he received the messages, she made an effort to send one twice a day. After she finished the message, Dormé didn't turn it off straightaway because Siac was pressing her roughly with his foot again and it caused her to inhale sharply, distracting her from the holodevice. She shifted uncomfortably as she said, 'You're as eager as I am, little one.'

Smiling, she thought of what it would be like once he was born and she was pregnant again. She could imagine Siac's eyes upon _meeting_ his little brother or sister who kicking just as roughly against their ama.

Upon remembering the device was still on, Dormé giggled. 'I--_we_ hope you can come home soon.' She smiled before shutting off the device. There was always so much more she wanted to say, but didn't, not over the holocom, but someday there would no longer be a need for such communication. Someday soon, the three of them would experience the winter festival together and she already knew it would be the best festival ever.


End file.
